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In a Message to Poachers, U.S. Will Destroy Its Ivory

WASHINGTON — The United States Fish and Wildlife Service will destroy six tons of illegal African elephant ivory next week that it has been stockpiling since the ’80s, officials said on Tuesday.

Blaming increased demand for a devastating rise in poaching, largely by organized crime syndicates, members of a task force created by President Obama told reporters in a briefing at the National Press Building that they wanted to send a message of zero tolerance and reduce the appeal of ivory, rhinoceros horns and other illicit animal products.

“By destroying our domestic stocks of ivory, we send a very clear signal that these illegally traded products should not be perceived as items of value,” said Robert G. Dreher, acting assistant attorney general for the environment and natural resources.

At the National Wildlife Property Repository near Denver on Nov. 14, the wildlife service, working with conservation organizations, will crush six tons of tusks, artwork and other ivory objects that were confiscated upon entering the United States. Officials said that to raise awareness further, the crushed ivory would be used to create memorials around the country against poaching. The United States is the second-largest consumer, behind China, of illegal animal products like elephant ivory, rhinoceros horn and tiger bone.

Daniel M. Ashe, the director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, said that reintroducing the government’s stock of ivory into the legal market was not a viable option because small sales had been shown to stimulate demand, not satiate it. Officials also said adding to the supply would make it harder to identify and prosecute illegal trade.

Photo

Outside the White House last month, a rally for elephants, which are being killed at a rapid pace.Credit
Nicholas Kamm/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The Philippines, Kenya and Gabon have also destroyed their stocks of ivory.

Elephant tusks are enlarged teeth embedded in the animal’s skull, and removal can be fatal. Poachers usually kill them in any case because the African elephant, the largest land mammal, can be dangerous when provoked.

The slaughter of African elephants has intensified recently — scientists estimate that tens of thousands are killed each year — as the value of ivory has skyrocketed above even gold. Much of the demand originates in China, where prosperity has fueled the market, despite a 1989 international ban on the commercial trade of African elephant ivory. Last year ivory sold for $1,000 per pound on the streets of Beijing.

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“It’s not risk free to kill elephants and illegally traffic in their ivory, but the value of the product is making the risk worth it for many of these criminals,” Mr. Ashe said.

Mr. Obama elevated wildlife trafficking as a security issue in July when he issued an executive order that created the task force, composed of officials from the State Department, the Interior Department and the Justice Department, among others. The president also pledged an additional $10 million in aid to Africa to fight poaching.

While poaching was once largely a crime of opportunity, officials say it has become increasingly sophisticated, often orchestrated and carried out by heavily armed people, connected to larger criminal groups, who do not hesitate to kill those who try to stop them. The cash goes to fund other crimes like human trafficking and conflicts in the region.

“These people are also a threat to international order,” Mr. Dreher said.

The task force is also working to step up law enforcement and reinforce trade laws banning illegal animal products. In the United States, hunting trophies and ivory antiques that predate the 1989 ban are permitted as trade exceptions, but Mr. Dreher said it could be hard to tell the age of ivory.

Mr. Dreher and other officials acknowledge that they have their work cut out for them. One complication is that soldiers from some African armies, including close partners of the American military, have been among the culprits of poaching.

Correction: November 11, 2013

An earlier version of this article misstated an animal product illegally consumed in the United States. It is tiger bone, not tiger blood.

A version of this article appears in print on November 6, 2013, on Page A14 of the New York edition with the headline: In a Message to Poachers, U.S. to Destroy Its Ivory. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe